The Indian under-23 team on Sunday lifted the ACC Emerging Trophy tournament after thrashing arch-rivals Pakistan by nine wickets in the final with opener Lokesh Rahul (93) being the star of a lopsided chase, here.
One of cricket’s most famous rivalries at the junior level was reduced to a one-sided contest as the Indian Colts chased down the 160-run target in just 33.4 overs at the Kallang Ground.
In the bowling department, Baba Aparajith shone with a three-wicket burst, while pacers Sandeep Warrier and Sandeep Sharma grabbed two wickets each. Rahul missed out on what would have been a well deserved century by just seven runs but stitched an unbroken 132-run stand for the second wicket with Manprit Juneja (51 not out) as India rounded off its impressive unbeaten run in the tournament.
Our Principal Correspondent from Kolkata writes:
The interim president of Board of Control for Cricket in India Jagmohan Dalmiya congratulated the victorious India under-23 cricket team. “It is indeed a matter of delight that the promising youngsters could again make the most of the opportunity,” Dalmiya said in a statement. “I would also like to praise the Asian Cricket Council for organizing the ACC Emerging Teams Cup successfully. It is, in fact, a great way of developing young talented cricketers in the region,” said the BBCI president.
The scores: Pakistan under-23 159 in 47 overs (Umar Waheed 41, Usman Qadir 33, Baba Aparajith three for 28) lost to India under-23 160 for one in 33.4 overs (Lokesh Rahul 93 not out, Manprit Juneja 51 not out).
